70 “liberation scholarships” to be offered to Canadian students in 2015/16

In May, 2015 the Netherlands will celebrate the 70th anniversary of liberation from World War II German occupation. Canadian soldiers played a significant role in liberating the country. In honour of their part, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with Nuffic, is working towards creating a scholarship programme specifically for Canadian students.

In May, 2015 the Netherlands will celebrate the 70th anniversary of liberation from World War II German occupation. Canadian soldiers played a significant role in liberating the country. In honour of their part, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with Nuffic, is working towards creating a scholarship programme specifically for Canadian students.

The programme was thought up by the Dutch embassy in Canada who wants to remind the new generation of the bond between the two nations. About 1 million people of Canada’s total population of 34 million comes from Dutch ancestry. However, in the Netherlands there are very few Canadians, with only about 300 international students coming from Canada this year.

The goal behind the one-time programme will be to highlight the relationship while also encouraging Canadian students to come to study in Holland.

70 “liberation scholarships” in 5 sectors

The programme will offer 70 scholarships for the 2015-2016 academic year to Canadian students wishing to study at a Dutch university. 11 universities and 12 colleges in the Netherlands came together recently to discuss the specifics, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nuffic, and the education associations VSNU and VH. The aim is to launch the programme in May of 2015 so that it’s ready to welcome Canadian students in the fall semester of 2015.

The initial details of the programme have been established. The next step is to consult Dutch businesses in Canada in order to link the scholarships available to 5 different fields. The five fields have been identified as follows:

peace and justice,

the creative industry,

energy,

nature, and

history.

All of these fields highlight Dutch talent and innovation and can offer Canadian students an excellent learning opportunity.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Nuffic, and the educational associations involved will continue to oversee the development of the programme. More details are expected to be available by the end of 2014.

Browse the Eurogates database for English-taught programmes available at Dutch Universities.